Coyote Hunting.

What sort of rifle should I take? Any special gear? SHould I wear a sidearm as well?

If you enjoyed reading about "Coyote Hunting." here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join TheHighRoad.org today for the full version!

Marshall

January 17, 2003, 06:02 AM

Full Camo (once in spot)
Predator call
Handgun
Rifle .22 on up

I prefer using a powerful rifle .243 .270, etc; flat shooters.

If indeed you are using predator calls, be wary! You could call in things you don't expect. You are being the hunted this time. I have had RedTail Hawks almost take my head off and had Bobcat, Cougar, Fox, Wolves and Coyotes come to calls.

It can be a very, very exciting hunt, just keep your eyes open and pick your set-up spot with the above in mind.

Good luck!

Ps Consider the rifle you pick to the risk of what you may encounter in your area.

dakotasin

January 17, 2003, 09:36 AM

most of the time i use a deer-rifle (helps me to be a better shot for deer season). some of the time i'll use my dedicated 'yote gun (22-250). my favorite 'yote rifle is a 7 rem mag shooting light bullets (120's-140's)...

sidearm is not necessary, but can be fun for opportunity shots (badgers, skunks, coons).

marshall's right about predator calls...i called in a badger once, and he was mighty disappointed that there was not a dying rabbit nearby and decided to take his aggression out on me... he absorbed 2 hits from a 25-06... have had coyotes hear the call, stretch, and sit back down and watch at several hundred yards, so long shots are a possibility, even while calling.

good luck, hope you can shake some dust off a few...

KMKeller

January 17, 2003, 10:03 AM

?? Geez you guys make this difficult. Growing up, we used 30-30 Winchesters from the back of a fast horse. Hunt the animal, don't cherry pick it... :D

Smoke

January 17, 2003, 10:24 AM

KMK we used to do it that way too...only we used a pickup.

Calling animals is fun though, you'll see things you won't from a horse or truck.

I like a .22-250; .223 if you dont have the other. Good scope, look into an illuminated reticle, or even one of the after market reticle illuminators. (they're not too bad).

Side arm is pointless and will just make unwanted noise if you have to shift positions.

Good spotlight. If you are using a taped call (electronic) put the speaker as far from the spot you're sitting as possible. Try to have a good clearing with a good field of fire if its brushy.

And the most import thing to bring ....patience.

cowdawg

January 17, 2003, 10:45 AM

Howdy Howdy, use what works for you.
this old boy uses a heavy barreled .223
various calls, camo on me and my rifle(those critters have not got the best eyes but they can see movement and differences in some colors)
Scent block (they have great noses) and
HAVE FUN

Art Eatman

January 17, 2003, 12:53 PM

Unless the shots are likely to be longer than 150 or 200 yards, a .223 is plenty good. If I already had a .243 or .22-250, I'd not feel the need for anything else.

I like using a mouth-blown call, although a baby boom-box with a wounded rabbit tape works very well. 50' of speaker wire to get some distance is a Good Thing. Start loud for half a minute, and then lower the volume to "normal" for a hurt rabbit.

Coyotes tend to come in toward the call, and then circle to get downwind for the final approach. Sitting on the ground, you gotta take this into account as to how you set up. I like to set up so I'm at the edge of a brush line and the wind's blowing parallel to it.

From a vehicle it's no problem, unless Ol' Wiley has been hunted before. I've even called while driving slowly along a jeep trail and had the little yodel dogs come in.

When there's a lot of moon, late afternoon/evening and first light to daylight seems to work okay. In the dark of the moon, 10PM (+/-) to early morning seems better. Nothing hard and fast, though; I've called with success in mid-afternoon, sometimes.

And now you know about as much as I do. :)

Art

Jaegermeister

January 17, 2003, 09:51 PM

Use a dying/distressed rabbit call as others have mentioned. Then use rabbit decoys such as stuffed animals or plastic garden decorations.

Hang a stuffed rabbit toy from a barbed wire fence about 50 yards away where it can be easily seen from two directions, but so you can't be seen.

Crows, hawks and owls will be hovering over the toy to check it out. Everything will be focused on the decoy instead of you. The coyote should drop its guard if you have the wind in your favor as well.

I like to varmint hunt in the snow, so bundle up and use over whites. I use an HR Ultra Varmint single-shot .223 with a 6x to 18x scope. I might take out my 8mm Yugo M48A Mauser just for fun next time.

When hunting in pairs, I like to have the long-range reach and someone covering my rear with a shotgun or Mini 14.

Decoys work well.

If you enjoyed reading about "Coyote Hunting." here in TheHighRoad.org archive, you'll LOVE our community. Come join TheHighRoad.org today for the full version!